We begin the show by tapping into Paulsen’s vast knowledge of ratings numbers as we dissect the reported success to date of Fox and TBS during their coverage of Major League Baseball’s playoffs.

We do the same with the NFL, which, although still king of the hill in ratings, is seeing decreases in viewership on some networks thus far over 2012. In our discussion we also bring up the report in the Wall Street Journal that the NFL may be looking at adding an additional Thursday Night game to the schedule.

We move on to the changes ESPN has been making to the NBA Countdown crew, led by the departure last week of Magic Johnson.

We wrap the show by looking at how ESPN and Turner have been trying to get out of telecasting NASCAR in 2014, the last year of its contract before NBC and Fox take over the rights exclusively in 2015.

SEC Football Fairing Well on CBS

CBS Sports reports today that through five games its series of SEC football games is averaging a 4.6 rating and 7.3 million viewers, the highest rated and most watched games since CBS began its SEC-only schedule in 2001.

The 4.6 rating and 7.3 million viewers are 48% and 49% above 2012’s numbers.

Fox Still Seeing Strong Numbers for ALCS

Fox Sports announced today that through three games of the American League Championship Series, the network is averaging a 4.4 rating and 6.9 million viewers, a 26% increase over the network’s coverage of the NLCS in 2012. The rating is also the highest for the ALCS on Fox since the 2009 series between the Yankees and Angels.

Tuesday’s game three had a rating of 3.7 and an audience of 5.6 million viewers, up 37% from the NLCS of 2012.

TBS Seeing Viewership Gains for NLCS

Turner Sports reports that TBS’ coverage of the National League Championship Series is seeing viewership gains over the last time the network covered the NLCS in 2011.

Through four games TBS is averaging a 3.2 rating and five million total viewers, up 23% and 22% compared with a 2.6 rating and 4.1 million total viewers for the same number of games in 2011.

NFL Action Still Ruling the Roost

The NFL is still the top draw in the television ratings world. For the past week NFL games were the number one rated program in 28 of the 30 NFL markets:

Week of 10/7-10/13

HH

HH

RTG

Market

Game

Date

RTG

SHR

Rank

New Orleans

Saints at Patriots

10/13/2013

52.8

73

1

Kansas City

Raiders at Chiefs

10/13/2013

42.1

72

1

Milwaukee

Packers at Ravens

10/13/2013

40.9

75

1

Denver

Jaguars at Broncos

10/13/2013

40.3

75

1

Pittsburgh

Steelers at Jets

10/13/2013

35.7

65

1

Dallas

Redskins at Cowboys

10/13/2013

35.3

52

1

Boston

Saints at Patriots

10/13/2013

35.1

62

1

Seattle

Titans at Seahawks

10/13/2013

34.4

66

1

Washington, DC

Redskins at Cowboys

10/13/2013

33.3

52

1

Cincinnati

Bengals at Bills

10/13/2013

32.4

57

1

Buffalo

Bengals at Bills

10/13/2013

32.1

62

1

Cleveland

Lions at Browns

10/13/2013

30.8

59

1

Baltimore

Packers at Ravens

10/13/2013

28.6

52

1

Minneapolis

Panthers at Vikings

10/13/2013

27.5

63

1

Chicago

Giants at Bears**

10/10/2013

27.3

42

1

Nashville

Titans at Seahawks

10/13/2013

26.8

43

1

Houston

Rams at Texans

10/13/2013

24.6

50

1

Philadelphia

Eagles at Buccaneers

10/13/2013

24.5

51

1

Charlotte

Panthers at Vikings

10/13/2013

24.1

48

1

Phoenix

Cardinals at 49ers

10/13/2013

23.1

46

1

Atlanta

Jets at Falcons*

10/07/2013

21.6

33

1

San Fran-Oakland

Cardinals at 49ers

10/13/2013

21.3

56

1

Tampa

Eagles at Buccaneers

10/13/2013

19.9

42

1

Jacksonville

Jaguars at Broncos

10/13/2013

19.8

34

1

San Diego

Saints at Patriots

10/13/2013

17.8

41

1

Indianapolis

Packers at Ravens

10/13/2013

16.3

33

1

New York

Steelers at Jets

10/13/2013

13.6

33

1

Miami

Saints at Patriots

10/13/2013

13.4

25

1

SI Cover this Week

Sports Illustrated has an exclusive interview with Kobe Bryant. Bryant graces the cover of this week’s issue:

TBS Seeing Ratings and Viewership Increases for NLCS

Turner sports reported today that through three games of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) the network is averaging a 3.1 rating and 4.7 million viewers, up 35% and 34% repectively over TBS’ coverage of the NLCS in 2011.

Last night’s game three in Los Angeles averaged a 3.1 rating and 4.8 million viewers, up 11% and 12% over 2011.

Sunday Night Football Again Bests MLB Playoffs

NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast this week drew an average of 22.1 million viewers, winning the night in prime time for NBC.

The 22.1 million viewers is the highest for a prime time NFL game against an MLB League Championship Series game in 17 years (49ers-Packers on ABC, 10/14/96) and is up 11% from last year’s Week 6 SNF game (19.9 million for Packers-Texans).

Storm, Anderson to Lead NYC Marathon on ESPN

ESPN has announced that SportsCenter anchors Hannah Storm and John Anderson will host the network’s coverage of the ING New York City Marathon.

The marathon will take place November 3rd and air live on ESPN2.

Anderson and Storm will be joined by reporter Jeremy Schaap and analysts Tim Hutchings and Carrie Tollefson. Lewis Johnson will also be part of race day coverage as a reporter, providing updates from the start and finish lines. Other reporters include ABC7’s Laura Behnke and Rob Powers, as well as Jim Dolan and Kemberly Richardson.

Additionally, Editor-in-Chief of Runner’s World David Willey will serve as a reporter while running the course. Juli Benson and Toni Reavis will serve as lead women’s reporter and lead men’s reporter, respectively.

“The beauty of the marathon is that any runner can share the same unbridled joy in finishing as a world class runner can in winning,” said Anderson. “The accomplishment is the thing! And New York makes people feel better about that accomplishment than anywhere else. The course and the spectators give the race unmatched energy. It’s why ’83 champion Rod Dixon was spot on when he said, ‘New York is the one you have to win.’”

Storm added: “There is perhaps, no sporting event in America more closely attached to its neighborhoods and city – while at the same time being an instantly recognizable international event – than the New York City Marathon. It’s an integral part of the fabric of this city and I’m thrilled to be involved in the broadcast, which we hope showcases the resilience of all New Yorkers and those who attend this great event.”

We begin the program looking at the successes thus far of TBS on its coverage of Major League Baseball’s postseason. The numbers for the network are higher than 2012, even without an appearance by the New York Yankees.

Next we look at the emergence of the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) as the leader when it comes to televising the NHL. Since the time NBCSN was known as OLN and Versus the network has found its niche in being the United States home for hockey.

We wrap up the segment by looking at the impact of how Peyton Manning’s hot start has been reflected in the early-season NFL ratings.

Ken takes over the second half of the show speaking with CBS Sports host Adam Schein. Ken talks with Adam about his work on That Other Postgame Show, NFL Monday QB, and SiriusXM Radio.

TBS Continues to See Viewership Increases in MLB Playoffs

Turner Sports announced today that Monday’s triple header of MLB Playoff action on TBS scored an average of 3,803,000 total viewers, an increase of 11% over the comparable Monday telecasts last year. The 2.5 rating is up 9% compared with 2012.

Boston had the highest local market rating at 20.9 Monday, followed by Tampa at 17.0 and Los Angeles at 12.0.

Collins Joins ESPN as NBA Analyst

ESPN has announced today that it has signed former NBA guard and head coach Doug Collins to serve as a NBA analyst.

Collins will serve as an analyst on NBA Countdown – with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons. In addition, he will serve as a game analyst for select telecasts on ESPN.

Collins will also make regular appearances across ESPN entities, including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and additional news and information programming.

Collins will be taking over the regular spot on NBA Countdown currently held by Michael Wilbon. Wilbon will continue to have a significant presence on ESPN’s NBA coverage across platforms. He will contribute to ESPN news and information programming, including SportsCenter, where he will provide reports, analysis and offer essays on pertinent NBA topics. Wilbon will also be on site for the NBA Conference Finals and NBA Finals.

“ESPN’s NBA coverage plays a leadership role in the way fans experience the sport, so I’m eager to share my basketball insights with our viewers,” said Collins. “Working with Magic, Jalen, Bill and the rest of my new ESPN colleagues will be a lot of fun.”

“Doug Collins is a one of the most respected NBA voices and we’re thrilled to have him join NBA Countdown. Collins brings a contemporary coaching perspective, which will enhance the diverse discussion on Countdown.” said John Wildhack, ESPN Executive Vice President, Production. “Additionally, Michael Wilbon will remain a leading authority for the NBA on ESPN while maintaining the flexibility to increase his in-studio appearances on our important Pardon The Interruption franchise.”

NBC Sports and Hockey East Reach Multi-Year Contract Extension

NBC Sports and the Hockey East Conference have announced that they have reached an extension to their existing contract that will keep the leagues games on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) through the 2014-2015 season.

NBCSN will annually televise a minimum of five Hockey East games, and up to 12 regular-season games over the next two years.

“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Hockey East and deliver live coverage of five Hockey East regular season games.” said Jon Miller, President, Programming NBC Sports and NBCSN. “With this renewal, Hockey East will continue to provide quality content for NBCSN across the next two college hockey seasons.”

“We are delighted to renew our relationship with NBCSN, whose commitment to showcase both amateur and professional hockey is unparalleled,” said Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna. “Hockey East embraces and values this partnership at a time when college hockey is experiencing seismic changes across the country.”

Dave Strader and Dave Goucher, will split play-by-play duties for NBCSN’s coverage of Hockey East. Ken Hodge will serve as an analyst for all Hockey East games on NBCSN. Here is the schedule of this season’s Hockey East games on NBCSN:

Denver/Dallas Wild Finish Brings CBS Ratings Gold

CBS Sports reported today that yesterday’s NFL national game between the Broncos and Cowboys scored the network an average rating of 18.6, the highest rated NFL game this season to date.

The rating was 18% above CBS’s national game from a year ago (Denver-New England; Buffalo-San Francisco; Tennessee-Minnesota).

CBS’s regional coverage of the NFL earlier Sunday averaged a 9.7 rating, up 4% from 2012.

MLB Playoff Ratings on TBS Up over 2012

Through the first five days of the 2013 MLB postseason, TBS reports ratings of playoff action is averaging a rating of 2.3, up 5% over last year’s 2.2 rating over the same time period. The network’s average of 3,482,000 total viewers is up 2% over last year.

Sunday’s NLDS series (St. Louis/ Pittsburgh and Atlanta/Los Angeles) averaged 3,174,000 total viewers and a 2.0 rating, up 19% and 18% over the comparable Sunday telecasts last year.

CBS Sports Announces SEC Doubleheader for October 19th

CBS Sports today announced that it will telecast an SEC football doubleheader on October 19th.

Georgia will take on Vanderbilt at 12 NOON. Tim Brando, Aaron Taylor and Allie LaForce call the contest from Vanderbilt Stadium.

NBC Sports’ Coverage of the U.S. Olympic Winter Trials

NBC Sports plans to produce 34.5 hours of live coverage of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Trials in advance of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Coverage will feature six sports – speed skating, short track, hockey, ski jumping, Nordic combined and curling.

ESPN Drops Commitment to Overseas X Games

ESPN announced today that it will no longer be producing X Games competitions outside of the United States. Here is their official statement:

“ESPN today announced it will not continue with X Games events in Barcelona, Munich, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil and Tignes, France. We are proud to have run world-class competitions for both the athletes and spectators; however the overall economics of these events do not provide a sustainable future path. The company remains fully committed to the X Games brand and its full-scale competitions in Aspen, Colorado and Austin, Texas – its newest host city – and we will continue to distribute these premier events around the world.”

NFL Flexes One Game For Week Seven

The NFL announced today that the October 20th game between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs will be moved to 4:25p.m ET from its original 1:00p.m. ET kick-off. The move was made to accommodate regional broadcast patterns.

The game will still be telecast on CBS.

Westwood One to Broadcast a NFL Quadruple Header on Sunday

After the NFL announced the move of the Chargers/Raiders game to 11:35p.m. ET this Sunday, Westwood One saw this as an opportunity to expand its game broadcast offering to four games this Sunday.

Here is the Westwood One schedule this Sunday, with announcer assignments: